College Basketball Power Rankings

Two teams dropped out of the rankings from last week:

-->North Carolina State, for losing a clunker to Maryland right after beating Duke
-->San Diego State, for scoring only nine (nine!) points in the first half in a loss at Wyoming

And the top fifteen teams in college hoops are:

15. OREGON (16-2). The Pac-12 has a new favorite. The Ducks have already beaten Arizona, and on Saturday they took care of #24 UCLA on the road, 76-67. Remarkably, five different Oregon players are averaging double-digits in points.
Last week: unranked

14. OHIO STATE (13-4). It might seem strange to rank a team with four losses as one of the best in the country. It's just tough to fault the Buckeyes for any of their defeats: at Duke, home to Kansas, at Illinois, and now at Michigan State. However, their main flaw was on full display against the Spartans on Saturday: DeShaun Thomas scored 28 points on 50% shooting but the rest of the team combined for only nine made field goals.
Last week: #13

13. CREIGHTON (17-2). Actually lost on Saturday, but falling on the road to Wichita State is eminently forgivable. The offensively-potent Bluejays don't deserve to drop out of these top-15 rankings until they lose a conference game to a weaker foe.
Last week: #11

12. MINNESOTA (15-3). The Golden Gophers missed a prime chance at a marquee win when they lost to #5 Michigan at home this week. This is still a very talented and balanced group, but the problem is that they're only the fourth-best team in their own conference.
Last week: #8

11. GONZAGA (17-2). Lost a thriller of a game to Butler on the road and there's no shame in that. Heck, even Indiana couldn't beat Butler on a neutral court. Hopefully we don't forget about the Zags as they retreat back to the West Coast for conference play.
Last week: #12

10. MICHIGAN STATE (16-3). For some reason, everybody always forgets about Michigan State during the middle of the season. The Spartans announced their return to public consciousness on Saturday by beating #11 Ohio State at home, 59-56. They're in first place in the Big Ten after Wisconsin's loss to Iowa.
Last week: unranked

9. ARIZONA (16-1). The Wildcats enjoyed a strong week by earning two road wins against conference foes. But with Oregon sitting in first place in the Pac-12, Arizona needs to beat UCLA at home next week to justify this high ranking.
Last week: #9

8. BUTLER (16-2). Playing without leading scorer Rotnei Clarke, the Bulldogs beat #8 Gonzaga 64-63 with a last-second steal and floater. Butler is just untouchable right now.
Last week: #10

7. FLORIDA (14-2). What the Gators did on Saturday was easy to miss because of all the other action, but they absolutely demolished #17 Missouri at home, 83-52. Underrated point guard Scottie Wilbekin scored 13 points, dished out 10 assists, and shut down Phil Pressey (1-7 from the field). In terms of efficiency, Florida is a top two team, both offensively and defensively.
Last week: #7

6. SYRACUSE (17-1). The Orange scored the biggest victory of the week by winning at #3 Louisville, 70-68. Their best win before this one was probably San Diego State back on November 11th. Syracuse needed this one to be taken seriously. Mission accomplished.
Last week: #6

5. DUKE (16-1). Ryan Kelly has made 52% of his three-pointers this season. If you don't think his absence is a big deal, you're not paying attention. The Blue Devils need to prove themselves to the country all over again.
Last week: #4

4. INDIANA (15-2). Both of Indiana's losses came to teams that play very distinctive, deliberate, defensive styles (Butler and Wisconsin), which gives us a glimpse into the Hoosiers' weaknesses.
Last week: #3

3. LOUISVILLE (16-2). Saturday's home loss to Syracuse was a setback. But overreacting to it would be wrong -- the Cardinals just don't have the necessary shooting to exploit Syracuse's unique zone. They still rank as the best defensive team in the country. Peyton Siva (1-9 from the field, including 1-7 from 3) needs to be better.
Last week: #2

2. MICHIGAN (17-1). The Wolverines passed a huge test on Thursday by defeating #9 Minnesota on the road, 83-75, easily their best win of the season. Their up-tempo offense ranks as the most efficient in the country.
Last week: #5

1. KANSAS (16-1). The Jayhawks survived a feisty road challenge from Texas on Saturday, rallying back from an eleven-point second half deficit. They still hasn't lost since before Thanksgiving. There's a small chance Kansas will rise from #4 to #1 in the AP Poll on Monday, which would put them on Upset Alert when they travel to #16 Kansas State the next day.
Last week: #1